The Swahili House

This is a very nice place with very nice and friendly staff. The room are really nice too, we love the style very traditional.

The AC wasn't working very well in one of the three rooms but still enough to sleep properly. The restaurant was alright but the breakfast selection could improve. The fruits and juices are excellent and the cocktails too especiallywhen it's the main bartenderdoing them.

Horrible

No wifi, terrible food, power went out at night, extremely slow service

Location

Old, air conditioned fan noise, elevator stop working, shower water weak, no coffee and tea in the room, breakfast average

The location and history of the house. It’d be cool if they had pictures and written history of the house around the building.

The Muslim chanting was 5 times a day (over a loud speaker throughout the town) starting at 5:15AM! It sounded cool but was an early wake up time.

Beautiful house and lovely decor! The ambience and the view from the rooftop is amazing. Breakfast was okay, there is room for improvement. Facilities were decent for an independent hotel.

The bathroom door was a big problem, ironically, this was the third location in Zanzibar where we had issues with the bathroom door! In this case, it got stuck and i could not come out. Finally, it needed some brute force to open the door! Rest were all fine. We could not open the windows since there was construction work going on next door, but cannot fault the hotel for this discomfort

The staff at the restaurant and receptionist were absolutely lovely and helpful. The rooftop is as per the pictures and the views are wonderful with the breeze. Great spot to relax in busy Stone Town. The wifi works really well at the reception desk and rooftop areas (as mentioned on description there is no wifi in the rooms). No mosquitos either, big plus!

We stayed 2 nights and the first night we were given a room that did not meet our expectations at all and did not match any of the pictures online. I even wondered if we should have been charged at all for the room we were given, it felt we had the room that no one gets or when the hotel is at extra max capacity... there was a strong smell of damp and low ceilings with 2 single mattresses put together across the width (and not the length) to make it a double bed. The second day they came forward and changed us room, I have to say it was a NEW DAY, the new room was as per the hotel's standards, spacious, high ceilings and beautifully decorated with Swahili furniture. We appreciated the change especially as we did not complain to reception in the first place.

Atmospheric. Wonderful roof terrace. Nice decor. Friendly staff.

The staff, the food and the atmosphere is all wonderful.

The pool was too small even for infants, as well as being filthy

Great location, very comfortable beds and lovely rooftop restaurant with a beautiful view.

What a gem! I will always remember staying at this historic "house" with a stellar view. Great breakfast, friendly staff who made us feel welcome, and a wonderful atmosphere. Sitting on the terrace overlooking Stone Town with a coffee or beer in hand - there was nothing better! The room was comfortable and spacious. Staff helped us organize an outing.

Wifi was just OK, and only in common areas. A/C worked well enough, but didn't quite cool down the whole room. Room could use a desk or table (something to put our stuff on or sit at).

Wonderful heritage hotel with superb decoration, lovely staff and great rooftop to spend time in between sightseeing trips. Going back there without a doubt.

Staff were so friendly, good food in the restaurant.Breakfast was nice and view from rooftop lovely. Amazing building, big room. They organised a good guide for our walking tour and nice driver to our next hotel.

It was fine for us, but may be a bit tricky for some people to find on foot. Pool was very small, and we didn't use it as it's right next to the restaurant with lots of tour groups coming and going all day to see the building/view.

Great service (special thanks to Mwinyi at the reception, who helped with great advice), beautiful building and decorations, comfortable rooms, amazing view from the rooftop, location in the midst of a labyrinth was lovely. We travelled with a baby and the staff at the kitchen were super helpful. Btw the coconut curry is to die for!

The pool is as big as a shoebox

Personal service from charming staff. The rooftop restaurant was stunning for views and the food was good too.

Friendly and welcoming staff. Patricia at reception was a gem and went above and beyond to help me. Good food and an awesome rooftop bar/restaurant.

We loved this hotel, which was our first stop in Zanzibar. It has a lot of character and the staff were friendly and helpful. The bedroom and bathroom were large and really nicely decorated. The roof terrace has amazing views (unfortunately luring many tourists during the day), comfy seating in and out of the sun, a dipping pool, and restaurant that serves delicious food. Also, it is a great location for exploring Stone Town, with close access to the road/ taxis.

Wifi was not perfect, but this was an issue everywhere we went to Zanzibar, so I don't think specific to this hotel.

It had a super rooftop restaurant. The staff were very friendly and attentive.

The room was small.

Lovely historic building, friendly staff. Nice view from the restaurant.

Beer not cold enough!

This is a very unique experience as the building is so historic. I stayed in a quiet room which gave a very special feel to the stay. The roof top restaurant is also lovely and you can watch the sunset from here.

Would help if the WiFi went to the rooms. It would also be helpful to be able to pay with a normal portal atm machine rather than an app.

This is a nice place to stay the location was excellent and the staff and cleanliness great. It was expensive for what it was. The room and bathroom were huge and very authentic. The bed was rock hard, but suprisingly I slept quite well on it. This is a good hotel, i just felt it was expensive for what it was.

It was a little basic for the price.